As the sole administrator of community corrections in Kenya, Probation and Aftercare Service derives its main mandate from the Probation of Offenders Act, Cap 64 and the Community Services Orders Act, No. 10 of 1998, Laws of Kenya.

Probation and Aftercare Service also derives additional mandates and functions from the following statutes:

In addition to these, Probation and Aftercare Service implements various government policies related to probation work; general rules of international law; and treaties and conventions ratified by Kenya which form part of law under the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

Functions

Probation and Aftercare Service performs the following main functions:

1. Conducting social inquiries of accused persons, offenders and petitioners for preparation of pre-bail, pre-trial, pre-sentence or post-sentence reports;2. Assessing and classifying offenders;3. Preparing and presenting reports to courts and other penal organs for decision making and dispensation of justice;4. Supervising offenders on executive orders, non-custodial orders and release licenses;5. Developing and implementing rehabilitation programmes for offenders serving various non-custodial measures; 6. Reintegrating and resettling offenders leaving custody and correctional institutions to the community;7. Facilitating restitution and reparation through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms; 8. Providing services for the protection and promotion of rights and welfare of victims;9. Providing accommodation to needy and deserving offenders in probation hostels and transitional houses; and10. Promoting crime prevention activities to enhance public safety through probation resource centres.